Semi-finalists named for 2016 Florida Blue Duval County Teacher of the Year
1/26/2016
Outstanding educators will advance on to the next selection round of the EDDY Awards
JACKSONVILLE, Fla., January 26, 2016— Fourteen outstanding public school teachers today were named semi-finalists for the 2016 Florida Blue Duval County Teacher of the Year.
The semi-finalists were selected from the Teachers of the Year nominated by every public school in Duval County. From the semi-finalists, five finalists will be selected and announced in February.
From those five, the winner will be named 2016 Florida Blue Teacher of the Year at the 25th Anniversary EDDY Awards Gala Dinner on Saturday, March 12 at the Hyatt Regency Jacksonville Riverfront. Tickets to the EDDY Awards, an initiative of the Jacksonville Public Education Fund, are available at eddyawardsjax.org and are $55 per person.
The semi-finalists are:
Emma Araya, Arlington Heights Elementary
Faylene Blake, Greenland Pines Elementary
Douglas Brown, Duncan U. Fletcher High School
Dionne M. Clayton, Paxon School of Advanced Studies
Christopher Collinsworth, Lake Shore Middle School
Stacy Cribb, Sallye B. Mathis Elementary
Sharmaine Grant, Chimney Lakes Elementary
Kay Park, Alimacani Elementary
Erin Patterson, First Coast High School
Jaime Plauche, Fishweir Elementary
Carmen Polanco, Alfred I. duPont Middle School
Rovenia Shaw, Biscayne Elementary
Carie Skube, Brookview Elementary
Darryl L. White, Matthew W. Gilbert Middle School
Honoring the county’s most exceptional educators, the EDDY Awards have evolved over the last few years into a year-long initiative building a network of exemplary teachers who are leaders in the community and who work to improve our schools, accelerate student achievement and elevate the teaching profession.
“These teachers are outstanding examples of the teaching profession in Duval County,” said Trey Csar, president of the Jacksonville Public Education Fund. “We look forward to working with them throughout the year to elevate the voices of the best educators.”
Photos and more information (including quotes from references) about each of the semi-finalists, as well as a full list of teachers of the year from each school, are available at jaxpef.org.